Patient Resources

Urinary incontinence is a condition that millions of Americans face every day. There are four types of incontinence: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, overflow incontinence and functional incontinence. While there are a myriad of treatment options available for each of these conditions, bladder training is often used for the first two—stress incontinence where pressure is placed on the bladder due to coughing, laughing or exercising; and urge incontinence where the need to urinate comes on so strong, time does not allow one to get to the bathroom on time. Bladder training exists in several ways including implementing kegal exercises, consciously allowing routine and consistent trips the bathroom, and the deliberate delay (holding in) of urination for short, set periods of time. Bladder training, although successful for many, is not for everyone and can typically take between 3-12 weeks before the desired success is reached. Once achieved, one can lengthen the amount of time between bathroom trips, increase the amount of urine the bladder can hold and improve the control over the urge to urinate.

This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or replace the advice of your health care professional. This information should not be relied upon to determine diagnosis or course of treatment